J Street U

J Street U is the student organizing arm of J Street, the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans.

We are a nationwide movement of campus chapters advocating and educating on colleges and universities, in our communities and on Capitol Hill for vigorous and sustained American leadership in facilitating a negotiated, two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are deeply committed to ensuring Israel’s future as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people, which can only be secured through a two-state resolution.

We know that the fates of both peoples are intertwined. Advocating for Israel necessitates advocating for Palestinian statehood, and we defend and support the right of both the Jewish and Palestinian peoples to sovereignty and security in democratic, self-governing states. We recognize that the ongoing occupation and settlement of the Palestinian territories is politically unsustainable and morally untenable. We envision an Israel that respects and guarantees human and civil rights to all its inhabitants, an Israel that lives at peace with its neighbors along internationally recognized borders, an Israel that reflects the promise of its founding declaration — to be a country “based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace.”

Many of us are students frustrated by a polarized climate on our campuses and a narrow conversation in our politics, where too often blame for the conflict is placed either entirely on Israel or entirely on the Palestinians. Many of us are Americans inspired by the democratic ideals of freedom, rule of law, and equality. Many of us are Jews that expect our community to live out the values of debate, inquiry and a pursuit of justice that we have been taught are central to our tradition.

On campuses across the country we are organizing as students to act together on behalf of a two-state solution and a more peaceful, secure, and democratic future for both Israelis and Palestinians. In so doing, we strive to bring to our campuses and our communities an inclusive, pragmatic, and values-driven conversation able to meet the urgency and seriousness of the challenge that we face.

Let Our People Know

We must stop the erasure of Palestinian voices on organized trips to Israel.